New front hillside update

Echinacea, pennisetum and volunteer fireweed

Remember my new front hillside, created by removing a railroad tie retaining wall? I've been spending a lot of time here, planting, watering, weeding and thinking.

This is the view from the bottom, comparison from early March to late August:

A lot of the plants visible in the newest photo are rescued from before the excavation and probably temporary, but they're good at filling in space for now:

• Geranium, probably Rozanne - a bunch of small pieces are multiplying quickly
• English daisy - I thought only one piece survived but now there are two and they will spread fast too
• Hollyhocks - planted from seed last year, some were just below the excavation and I transplanted some along the wall
• Fireweed - a lovely native volunteer
• Gladiolus - I planted a bag of bulbs along the wall

Looking back from the house, here's a clearer view of this sunny section along the neighbor's wall:




I have added a lot of sun loving perennials, many bought on super sale from the big box hardware stores:

• Echinacea purpurea 'PowWow White'
• Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'
• Acaena inermis 'Purpurea' - a lovely purple groundcover
• Coreposis 'Mercury Rising' - rescued from the big box dead plant section
• Amsonia hubrichtii - same
• Spiraea, have to look up which one, maybe 'Goldflame' - same
• Hemerocalis 'Pink Flirt' - same
• Hemerocalis 'Wine Delight' - same
• Ajuga reptans 'Burgendy Glow' - a less aggressive bugleweed
• Fuchsia 'Delta's Sara' - as close to a blue fuchsia as I can find, crossing my fingers that it can handle this much afternoon sun
• Asters - a few small varieties that I seem to have lost the tags for are planted in front

There is a definite purple and gold theme to the perennials, and also to the larger bushes that I've planted in the back:

• Smoke bush, cotinus 'Grace'
• Variegated red twig dogwood, I think it is cornus alba 'Gouschaltii'
• Ninebark, physocarpus 'Morning Star'
• Native flowering currant, grown from a cutting

The bushes will eventually shade out some of the perennials, but this area has a lot of room for both - and this is only the bottom section of the new front slope! The rest will have to wait for part 2 of this post.

Here's a couple more views of this section, I like how it merges into my north shade border down the hill:

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - July, 2018

Love-in-a-mist

Another month gone, where do the days go? There's an inverse relationship between how often I post and how much time I'm spending outside in my garden, which I guess is not a bad thing. I need to do some catch up posts one of these months though!

Meanwhile, here's what's in bloom around my yard now. Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the monthly roundup of blooms.

A lot of my flowers right now are in the area around my back patio, where I plant annuals and other plants that I can easily water. 

Cosmos

Dahlia

Nigella, love-in-a-mist

Petunias - the white should be mixed white and purple
but some environmental condition isn't right

Cosmos, balloon flower, yarrow, lavender, love-in-a-mist

Hens and chicks in a planter

Ornamental oregano

Bee balm

Gladiolus, leaning over so I can't get a good picture

New wind spinner in the background

Also a lot in bloom down to the bottom of the hillside where I have more native plants, but of course these aren't all native.  

Coreopsis

Sedum, I think this is oreganum

Coreopsis

Seaside daisy

Crocosmia

Crocosmia, yarrow and lavender on the hillside

Coneflower

Self heal

I never remember what this one is called but I like the spikes in front of the vine maple

Various other areas around the yard:

Baby blue eyes and alyssum in an "eco turf" mix

Hollyhocks

Hollyhocks

Double hollyhocks

Gladiolus

Gladiolus

More gladiolus

Hydrangea paniculata - forget exactly which variety

Star gazer hydrangea, with guardian dragon

Hydrangea 'Niko's Blue' - planted this year, should turn blue, our soil is acidic

Fuchsia 'Delta's Sara' - flowers open a deep blue

Fuchsia 'Genii'

Yucca

Hummingbird salvia growing into the red twig dogwood

Daylillies keep going and going, but they are all too sunny
in the afternoon to get good pictures

In bloom this week: July 23, 2017

Clematis

The curse of July is that the constant sunshine makes taking pictures difficult. And occasionally it's a little too hot for me, but really we've had amazing weather this month. 

In the rose garden, many of the roses are taking a break between blooms, but still a lot in bloom:

Aquilegia reblooming

Gladiolus

Anise hyssop, with catmint in the background

Aquilegia reblooming

Phlox

Lavender and mint

North side of the house, I need to plant more but this will be my late summer/fall garden:

Fuchsia 'genii'

Hydrangea 'pinky winky'

Hydrangea,star gazer (too lazy to look up the full name)

On and around the patio:

Dahlia

First cosmos bloom

Poppy leaning against a sunflower

Balloonflower

Nigella aka love in a mist

Two types of monarda and salvia

Fuchsias and other annuals

Clematis

Climbing rose, not climbing yet

Strawberries reblooming

Nasturtiums

At the bottom of the yard:

Echinacea

Clarkia, not sure which one

Coreopsis, tickseed

Gaillardia

Crocosmia, so bright it's hard to get a good picture